1. Technical Field
The application relates to a beverage bottling plant for filling bottles with a liquid beverage filling material, and apparatus for attaching carrying grips to containers with filled bottles.
2. Background Information
A beverage bottling plant for filling bottles with a liquid beverage filling material can possibly comprise a beverage filling machine with a plurality of beverage filling positions, each beverage filling position having a beverage filling device for filling bottles with liquid beverage filling material. The filling devices may have an apparatus being configured to introduce a predetermined volume of liquid beverage filling material into the interior of bottles to a substantially predetermined level of liquid beverage filling material, and the apparatus configured to introduce a predetermined flow of liquid beverage filling material comprising apparatus being configured to terminate the filling of beverage bottles upon liquid beverage filling material reaching said substantially predetermined level in bottles. There may also be provided a conveyer arrangement being configured and disposed to move bottles, for example, from an inspecting machine to the filling machine. Upon filling, a closing station closes filled bottles. There may further be provided a conveyer arrangement configured to transfer filled bottles from the filling machine to the closing station. Next, filled bottles are usually labeled in a labeling station after closing. Filled bottles are then possibly combined in containers, such as six-pack containers, for example.
Thus, all kinds of wares are nowadays generally offered in packages, so as to simplify transportation, afford protection of the wares as such against damage and loss, and they are thus made more appealing, leading to an increased sales turnover.
As well, individually packaged wares, such as, for example, beverages filled in bottles, are gathered into larger units. These are then assembled, for example, as so-called tray-packs. In such tray-pack assemblies, for example, six bottles are combined into a mechanically stable sales unit by way of a cardboard bottom and a shrink-wrap foil envelope. In other assemblies, greater numbers of bottles, such 8, 10, 12, 16, 18, or 24 bottles, can be combined and packaged in a single assembly.
So as to increase the customer service, many market participants welcome the provision of a carrying grip, strip, or handle for all the types of packaging described above that is either already attached, or it is desired that such packaging is conducive to being provided with a carrying grip.
In the following, all packaging, bottles, cans, assemblies and so forth known in the field are referred to as containers for reasons of simplicity.
In most cases in which containers are equipped with a carrying grip, the carrying grip comprises a plastic band that has a self-adhesive on one side thereof. While the first portion and the last portion of such plastic band are respectively pressed onto respective sides of the container and are secured by the adhesive, the adhesive side of the central portion is then covered, as a rule, by a strip of paper so as preclude contact of the fingers of a customer with the adhesive, and with the central portion providing the carrying loop of the carrying grip.
The art comprises basically two methods for the production of such plastic bands. In a first method, the bands are equipped with the above-described strip of paper during the manufacture, such that these strips need only to be brought to the finished length and need only to be attached within the machine that serves to attach the carrying grips.
However, it is of detriment in this method that each change of the configuration of the carrying grip will entail a change of the plastic strip, whether it be the total length, the length of an adhesive portion, or the length of the carrying loop.
In a second method initially a plastic strip is used which is fully self-adhesive on one side. Within the machine that attaches the carrying grips, there is now attached to the portion of this plastic strip that is disposed between the desired adhesive locations a strip of paper, whereby the required adhesive locations at the leading end and at the trailing end of the strip are left free of such a paper strip. This method obviates a frequent change of the plastic strip, which is of particular advantage in practical use, since the length of the plastic strip, as well as the position and the length of the paper strip, can be adapted in simple manner to changes in requirements.
All comments made herein above in connection with plastic strips apply in analogous manner for the use of starting materials that are made of other materials, such as, for example, paper or metal, or that are made of any desired combination of such materials.
Concerning machines that attach carrying grips, hereinafter referred to as carrying grip dispensers, hitherto several solution suggestions have become known.
One arrangement for attaching carrying grips was introduced by German Utility Model No. 20 207 217, published on Sep. 19, 2002. In this arrangement the applicator tool consists essentially of a three-arm rotor, the horizontal axis of rotation of which is disposed transversely with respect to the conveying direction of the containers. Each one of these rotor arms is equipped with a guide for a strip, a holding tool, and a cutting tool. Between the rotor arms, near the hub of the rotor, there is respectively one vacuum probe that is to pull the plastic strip without contact such that the plastic strip does not connect the ends of the rotor arms in a straight line but essentially follows the inner contour of the rotor. The actual attaching of the carrying grip is achieved in that the containers are driven against a first rotor arm and thereby take up the leading end of the carrying grip. Subsequently, the containers are driven beneath the rotating rotor and are provided by the respectively succeeding rotor arm with the trailing end of the carrying grip, whereby the cutting tool that is disposed at the end of the respective rotor arm severs the plastic strip in proper division.
Of major detriment of an arrangement according to German Utility Model No. 20 207 217 is the fact that the geometric configuration of the rotor determines the length of the carrying grip that is to be processed. Due to this fact, it becomes necessary, as a rule, that when changes arise in the containers or, respectively, the dimensions thereof, to exchange the rotor, and this is time consuming and expensive. It is also a disadvantage that the vacuum action of the plastic strip towards the hub between two rotor arms provides a source for errors in practical use. German Utility Model No. 202 07 217 is hereby incorporated by reference as if set forth in its entirety herein.
Another arrangement has become known in German Patent No. DE 3 715 445 filed on May 8, 1987, in which the carrying grip is attached by a comparatively complex arrangement of various levers and presser rollers. It is of disadvantage that this arrangement is essentially only useable for box, carton, or parcel-type containers, and that an adaptation of the carrying grip to changing container dimensions is possible to a limited extent only. German Patent No. 3 715 445 and corresponding U.S. Pat. No. 5,052,165 issued to Gunther on Oct. 1, 1991 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,062,251 issued to Gunther on Nov. 5, 1991 are hereby incorporated by reference as if set forth in their entirety herein.
A further arrangement has been introduced in German Patent No. DE 693 00 175, published Feb. 15, 1996. The arrangement has a rotary plate that can be driven and that is disposed transversely with respect to the direction of travel of the containers. The radially outer ends of the rotary plate are respectively rounded and are equipped with two L-shaped levers that serve as holding means for fixing the endless band that has on one side an adhesive layer, portions of which are covered, as well as being equipped with a cutter that serves as a cutting tool for cutting of the carrying grip from the plastic strip, which cutter can be moved radially in an outward direction. At the commencement of the process, the rotary plate is disposed vertically and reaches with a first end into the path of the containers, whereby on the side that is facing towards the containers, a portion of the plastic strip that corresponds to the length of the carrying strip that is to be established is held between the two ends of the rotary plate, with the adhesive layer being directed outwardly. An arriving container then meets the rotary plate with its forward side, as considered in reference to the direction of travel, whereby the leading end of the carrying grip is secured to the container. Subsequently, the rotary plate carries out a rotation through 180 degrees, with the container simultaneously moving by a defined distance so that, as the rotary movement finds its conclusion, the second end of the rotary plate contacts the back side of the container. By way of this contact, the end of the carrying grip is attached on the back side of the container, at the same time, the cutting tool that is disposed in the rotary plate severs the carrying grip from the endless plastic strip. It is of disadvantage in such an arrangement that realization of the non-uniform rotational movement of the rotary plate requires a high degree of control engineering effort, whereby, due to the required high angular accelerations, high drive efforts also need to be provided. Again, in this arrangement, the length of the carrying grip is determined by the geometric configuration of the arrangement, such that an adaptation to changed container dimensions can be done only by way of exchanging the rotary plate and with considerable attendant adjustment work being required as well. German Patent No. 693 00 175 and its corresponding European Patent No. EP 0 560 699 published on Sep. 15, 1993 are hereby incorporated by reference as if set forth in their entirety herein.
The design principle described in the foregoing is essentially followed by the arrangement described in German Patent No. DE 693 08 878, published on Aug. 8, 1997, such that the disadvantages described above also apply to the arrangement that corresponds to the disclosure of German Patent No. 693 08 878. German Patent No. 693 08 878 and its corresponding U.S. Pat. No. 5,458,726 issued to Castoldi on Oct. 17, 1995 are hereby incorporated by reference as if set forth in their entirety herein.
In all of the above-described systems it is additionally of detriment that a change in the size of the container would generally entail a laborious adjustment of the operating height of the system.
There furthermore resides a detriment in that in known systems there is a requirement for a comparatively large separation between the individual containers, which causes high conveying velocities. To achieve a ramp-up of the speed and a subsequent deceleration of such high conveying velocities entails voluminous mechanical measures.